Five Emperor Coins

"My head hurts!"

Feng Xi'er opened her eyes and saw the faint morning sunlight.

Her expression changed, and she immediately waved her hand, intending to use her magic to protect herself.

But a feeling of emptiness washed over her, leaving Feng Xi'er's small face pale.

She was not far from running out of oil and dying.

If that darkness had stopped eroding her for no reason, she would have died long ago.

Later... it seemed she lost consciousness due to exhaustion? Why was she here again?

"Colonel, you're awake?"

Zhong Shenxiu, his chest bandaged with blood seeping through, leaned on a wooden staff and approached Feng Xi'er.

"Su Daozhi, is that you?! You're actually still alive?"

Seeing that it was one of her own, Feng Xi'er felt a slight relief. After checking her body, she relaxed even more: "What exactly happened later?"

"This subordinate doesn't know."

Zhong Shenxiu replied with a wry smile, "This subordinate was stabbed by a sword and thought I wouldn't survive. When I woke up, I found the wound had missed my heart by a few inches, so I was lucky to survive... Later, I heard a loud noise from the altar, so I bandaged my wound and rushed over, only to find the Colonel..."

"Altar, ritual?"

Feng Xi'er's expression stirred. She looked towards the altar, only to see a pile of rubble, which made her even more confused. "That head was incredibly powerful. It was likely the first Count... With just one glance, it could have wiped out our entire group. It was impossible to resist. Could the ritual have succeeded, and they retreated? But if so, why would they have left me and Su Daozhi alive? Could it be... the ritual failed? And they were all annihilated by the backlash?"

She vaguely felt that the second possibility was very high, otherwise, she couldn't explain the current situation.

Unfortunately, this area was contaminated with the aura of an Ancient God, making it a place that couldn't be explored. Using Daoist Arts to probe would be suicidal.

"I didn't expect that in this battle, besides you, all of the Black Armored Iron Cavalry sacrificed themselves for the country."

Feng Xi'er sighed and said to Su Daozhi, "You saved my life, and that's a great merit. I'm temporarily promoting you to acting Sergeant of my Black Armored Iron Cavalry. When I return, I'll clear your name as a Convict and officially appoint you."

"Thank you, Colonel. But you are blessed with good fortune, Colonel. This subordinate dares not take credit!"

Zhong Shenxiu's face lit up with overwhelming joy, and he bowed repeatedly.

He also knew that Feng Xi'er's promise was mostly for appeasement. After all, her strength was at a low point. If he had any ill intentions, this weak woman truly couldn't resist.

In fact, with his current strength, even a Feng Xi'er at her peak would be toyed with in countless ways.

This great merit, coupled with the promise of escaping his Convict status, would have made even the former young Su Daozhi obediently sell his life.

As for promotion? Who else was left in the entire Black Armored Iron Cavalry besides him?

Oh, the Black Armored Iron Cavalry are cavalry, and a Sergeant is a proper official position, which is why she said 'acting' and that I'd be officially appointed after my crimes were cleared. As expected of someone from a noble family, even in this situation, she's still so clear about everything...

Zhong Shenxiu's mind was filled with a desire to complain, but he suppressed it. He found some water skins and gave Feng Xi'er some water to drink. They also ate a few pieces of dried rations.

As the sun gradually rose, they heard a commotion from the foot of the mountain.

"Colonel! Colonel!"

A group of dozens of people rushed over. Xu Wenling, who was at the head, was greatly alarmed when he saw the corpses of those who had blocked the enemy.

After suppressing the camp riot, he saw that Feng Xi'er hadn't returned all night and knew something was wrong. He quickly brought his men to support her, desperately hoping Feng Xi'er was alright.

Otherwise, with his two major crimes, he was afraid he'd be demoted to nothing.

Although the soldiers in the camp were almost exhausted and unable to move, he still had his personal guards. Like the Black Armored Iron Cavalry, they were well-fed and treated, and were loyal in times of great chaos.

He gathered these people and rushed to provide support, but unfortunately, he was still too late.

If Zhong Shenxiu had just had a whim, this little Feng'er would have been dead for sure.

"We are here."

Zhong Shenxiu answered loudly.

Not long after, Xu Wenling arrived with his men and was stunned to see the two of them.

Xu Wenling immediately knelt on one knee, "This subordinate's rescue was late. I beg the Colonel for forgiveness."

"Enough, at least you're somewhat useful."

Feng Xi'er waved her hand, putting on a dignified demeanor.

After meditating and recuperating for a while, her magic had recovered a little, but she still lacked confidence. Therefore, she was much gentler towards Xu Wenling. "Although my cavalry suffered heavy losses this time, we have finally thwarted the enemy's plot..."

Is this a hint that I can share in the merit?

Xu Wenling's eyes lit up, and he quickly said loudly, "What are your orders, Colonel? This subordinate will die without regret!"

Black Mountain Fortress.

The atmosphere suddenly became serious, with bloodstains still visible on the ground.

Last night's camp riot was a complete mess. After the aftermath, besides the missing personnel, there were twenty-seven bodies and dozens severely wounded. Almost every soldier had minor injuries.

Zhong Shenxiu walked into the military camp and immediately noticed the difference.

Even in the void, in the dark corners, there seemed to be some lingering spirits that he, the [Shepherd], could sense.

What put his mind at ease was that among these spirits, he didn't find those two dogs.

As soon as she returned to the main camp, Feng Xi'er was naturally invited to the command tent to receive the best care.

Zhong Shenxiu benefited from this and also got a military doctor to treat him.

When the military doctor saw the wound, he was immediately astonished, calling Zhong Shenxiu incredibly lucky.

Even though the sword had pierced through his chest, it had missed vital organs, a one-in-a-hundred or even one-in-a-thousand chance on the battlefield.

Zhong Shenxiu naturally laughed it off, sent the medical officer away, then casually grabbed a soldier, tossed him a few black copper coins, and told him to find Huang Xie and Er Ha.

These black copper coins were called 'Black Emperor Coins' and were the common currency of the Second Yanhan Empire.

Above the Black Emperor Coins were White Emperor Coins, cast from silver, worth a hundred times as much as Black Emperor Coins.

Above the White Emperor Coins were Red Emperor Coins!

Red represented gold, and pure gold was rare; only Immortal Masters who cultivated alchemy could refine true red gold to make coins, which were mostly imperial rewards.

These three were all mortal currencies.

Legend had it that above Red Emperor Coins was a higher tier, Yellow Emperor Coins. Yellow represented talismans, so-called Yellow Emperor Coins were talisman coins, a currency used by cultivators.

As for the final Green Emperor Coins, Su Daozhi had never heard of them, and Zhong Shenxiu naturally didn't know about them either.

In this era, a single Black Emperor Coin was worth quite a bit, more than enough as a reward for running an errand.

The soldier, who didn't recognize Zhong Shenxiu, left with a grin. Before long, he returned with two dogs.

"Huang Xie, Shi Qi..."

Zhong Shenxiu greeted them with a smile and directly said, "I've made a great contribution. My next step will likely be to follow Colonel Feng to Fufeng City for duty. Are you willing to come with me?"